Universal watch

ABSTRACT

A universal watch wherein the hour hand may be corrected incrementally by an hour or less in response to the pushing, pulling or turning a stem or shaft.

United States Patent 11 1 v I 1111 3,766,730

Kishida et al. 1 p Oct. 23, 1973 UNIVERSAL WATCH [75' Tri'v'n'tbrEMb'mki Kishida, Okaya-shi; [561 References Cited Yasuo Miwa, Suwa, both of Japan UNITED STATES PATENTS I 3,611,703 10/1971 Borel 58/855 [73] Ass1gnee ggl zgzhl r gtz figfi 3,599,421 8/1971 Walker 58/425 22 Filed: May 20, 1971 Primary ExaminerRichard B Wilkinson [21] Appl. No.1 145,354 Assistant ExaminerEdith Jackmon Attorney-Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman and Kaplan [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 7 [57] ABSTRACT June I, 1970 Japan 45/46373 A universal watch wherein the hour hand may be rected incrementally by an hour or less in response to 58/4332? the p g pulling or turning a Stem or Shaft.

[58] Field of Search 58/425-441 85.5 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures IIIIJI' f PAIENIEMIN ma car/66730 SHEET 2 0F 2 l UNIVERSAL WATCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a universal watch, wherein Y a difference in time is corrected quickly and certainly and the times in various parts of the world are indicated.

' Recently, with the development of transportation facilities, travelling abroad has increased substantially. When travelling, it is often necessary to correct watches for differences in time.

In the art, watches for indicating both Greenwich mean time and local time are known as universal watches. In conventional watches, time is indicated by an hour hand and a minute hand and is read by rotating an indicia or a local name indicator, the setting being adjusted for each local time. In such constructions, be-

cause of the necessity of rotating the local name indica-- tor, the operation of the watch is troublesome, and because of the additional indicia or local name indicator, reading the time is troublesome, so that the time is often read incorrectly. I

Moreover, in conventional universal watches, because of the complicated construction and many parts, the purchase price is very high as compared with normal watches.

On the other hand, in normal watches, whenever a difference in time occurs, it'is necessary to adjust the watch forward or backward by rotating an hour hand by a stem.

In the arrangement according to the invention, the above mentioned defects in conventional universal watches or normal watches are avoided. This invention relates to a universal watch, wherein the difference in time is corrected quickly from outside the watch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T HE DRAWINGS For afuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 showsa cross sectional view of an embodiment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of a second am: bodiment 'accord'ing'to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE'PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, wherein one embodiment of the invention is shown, 1 is a minute hand fixed to a cannon pinion 2, 3 is an hour hand fixed to an hour wheel 4, 5 is a spring washer supporting a friction spring 6, is an auxiliary hour wheel, 11 is a hole on said auxiliary hour wheel, 9 is a projection on thehour wheel 4, 8 is a minute wheel pinion, 12 is a minute wheel, and 7 is a time correcting wheelfor correcting differences in time.

In FIG. 2, 3 is an hour hand, 5 is a spring washer, 10 is an auxiliary hour wheel, 11 is a hole on said auxiliary hour wheel, and6 is a friction spring.

To explain the operation of the arrangement according to the invention, when the watch is in the normal condition, minutes are indicated by minute hand 1,

fixed to the end of cannon pinion 2, which receives transmission from a center wheel and pinion having a cannon pinion.

plan viewof the essential part of FIG.

On the other hand, the rotational motion is transmitted to the hour wheel 4 through a minute wheel pinion 8, an auxiliary hour wheel 10, and a hole 11 on said auxiliary hour wheel. The minute wheel 12 continuously indicates the time through the hour hand 3 fixed on the end of the hour wheel 4. 1

To achieve the object of this invention, in other words, to correct the difference in time in various parts of the world, the time correcting wheel 7 is rotated by a crown for time correction, and the rotational motion is transmitted to the hour wheel 4.

This time correcting wheel engages with the hour wheel 4 only when correcting the difference in time and usually is disengaged from the hour wheel 4.

The auxiliary hour wheel 10 is pushed by a projection 9, due to the rotational motion of the hour weel transmitted by the time correcting wheel 7. Then said auxiliary hour wheel is rotated to the next hole, the projection 9 falls in hole 11 due to the friction spring holding down the auxiliary hour wheel 10. In this manner, a correction of 1 hour is achieved since the hour hand 3 is fixed on the hour wheel 4, and the holes 11 are spaced 30 apart.

The number of the projections provided on the hour wheel 4 should be a whole number divisor of 12. For example, it may be 4. The precise number depends on the rotational torque or stability of the hour wheel.

If a two hour difference is to be corrected, the correction is performed by means of displacing'a crown so that the projection 9 falls in the hole 11 on the auxiliary hour wheel twice.

As described above, according to the invention, the correction of a difference in time may be performed surely, quickly and easily.

Moreover, the appearance of the watch does not differ from that of normal watches, while the invention provides a novel time correcting construction, wherein the time is corrected intermittently and quickly.

In the above-described embodiment, the stem of the watch is used for time correction. However, it is possible to provide a'managing button instead of the stem for this purpose. Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, a normal watch having a center secondhand is described, but'in the arrangement of hour, minute, and second hands, the well-known various forms of arrangement of hour, minute and second hands may be utilized.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, while the hour and minute hands are driven continuously, time correction is performed intermittently and quickly. But time correction by driving the hands continuously is also obtainable. For example, as recited in FIG. 3, a second hour wheel 3 is provided on the hour wheel 14, and the hour hand 3 is fixed on the second hourwheel. The connection between the hour wheel and'the second hour wheel is frictional. During normal operation when driving the hands, both of the hour wheels drive the hour hand in a body. During time correction, the second hour wheel engages with a time correcting wheel 7 which is even and parallel with the second hour wheel. Therefore, the second hour wheel is displaced relative to the hour wheel andonly the hour hand is corrected quickly. Furthermore, if the time correcting wheel engages with the second hour wheel only when time correcting and disengages from the second hour wheel during normal time operation, the hour wheel. 14, the cannon pinion 2 and the minute wheel 12 and the .loss of hand driving torque does not occur.

As in the other embodiment, according to the inven- .tion, it is possible to make the normal hand driving intermittent, and adapt the correcting construction for quick time correction. In other words, an hour wheel having 12 teeth is provided and one tooth of said hour wheel is fed by a pawl fixed on the driving wheel for 1 revolution per hour. Then the hour hand fixed on the hour wheel is fed by an hour intermittently.

A jumper spring is added to the hour wheel in order to assure the intermittent feeding. The end of said jumper spring linked to. the stem or another shaft is engaged with said hour wheel by pushing, pulling or rotating said stem of other shaft. With every operation of the stem or other shaft, one tooth of the hour wheel is fed. Thus, quick correction of the difference in time is performed.

Also, in this embodiment, only the hour hand is quickly corrected, leaving the minute hand as it is. Since most of the difference in time is shown in hours, it is practically sufficient to correct only the hour hand. However, in some districts, the difference between Greenwich mean time and local time is an integer number of hours plus one-half hour. This is to say, local time is n hours and 30 minutes, or [n (v /4)] hours, when the standard time is 12 oclock midnight. This invention is also applicable-to a universal watch usable in such districts, so that the differences in time all over the world may be corrected quickly. In such an embodiment, the hour hand is corrected by only n/4 hours at each operation of the stem or another shaft. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment in the number of teeth on the wheel thereof. The minute hand is also designed to be corrected by 17/4 hours with the correction of the hour hand.

It is very convenient to know the difference in time from Greenwich mean time, in order to correct the time quickly into the local time. For that purpose, an indicator indicating the difference in time on the dial or around the dial may be provided on the case back. The arrangement according to the invention offers many advantages. Thus, since complicated devices such as indicia or a local. name indicator are unnecessary, incorrect readings do not occur. The time is cor rectedonly by pushing, pulling or rotating thestem, an approach suited to themodern' way of life. Also, as the construction is not complicated, manufacturing is easy and many parts are not necessary. Therefore, the watch is inexpensive and relatively trouble-free.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above and those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departments of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

We claim:

'1. A universal watch comprising an hour hand; a watch train normally coupled to said hour hand for driving same, said watch train including an auxiliary axial force between said abutment means and said auxiliary hour wheel for axially biasing said auxiliary hour wheel against said-hour wheel, said hour hand being mounted on said hour wheel shaft portion; means operative from outside of said watch for selectively rotating said hour wheel relative to said auxiliary hour wheel; and positioning means on said hour wheel and auxiliary hour wheel for fixing incremental relative positions of said-auxiliary hour wheel and hour wheel in cooperation with the bias force of said'spring means for the driving of said hour hand by said watch train while permitting incremental rotation of said auxiliary hour wheel by said means operable from outside said watch for the selective incremental advancement of said hour hand independent of the displacement of said watch train. Y

2. A universal watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes recess means on said auxiliary hour wheel and projectionmeans on said hourwheel, said recess means and projection means being. in

registration and positioned for defining saidincrernen-v tal advancement of said hour hand. i

' 1 a ti! 

1. A universal watch comprising an hour hand; a watch train normally coupled to said hour hand for driving same, said watch train including an auxiliary hour wheel; an hour wheel formed with an axially extending shaft portion, said auxiliary hour wheel being mounted for rotation about said shaft portion and axial displacement therealong; abutment means on said hour shaft portion; spring means engaged between said abutment means and said auxiliary hour wheel for applying axial force between said abutment means and said auxiliary hour wheel for axially biasing said auxiliary hour wheel against said hour wheel, said hour hand being mounted on said hour wheel shaft portion; means operative from outside of said watch for selectively rotating said hour wheel relative to said auxiliary hour wheel; and positioning means on said hour wheel and auxiliary hour wheel for fixing incremental relative positions of said auxiliary hour wheel and hour wheel in cooperation with the bias force of said spring means for the driving of said hour hand by said watch train while permitting incremental rotation of said auxiliary hour wheel by said means operable from outside said watch for the selective incremental advancement of said hour hand independent of the displacement of said watch train.
 2. A universal watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes recess means on said auxiliary hour wheel and projection means on said hour wheel, said recess means and projection means being in registRation and positioned for defining said incremental advancement of said hour hand. 